✯Cover reveal✯ Addy And The Smart Guy by Carter Ashby

If it weren’t for her best friends, Zoey and Maya, Addy Hart would be a prudish, uptight Barbie doll. Thankfully, through love and persistence, they’ve helped introduce her to her wild side. Unfortunately, even her wild side doesn’t have the courage to go after the one thing she wants more than life itself.

Dr. Greyson McDaniel has resisted his lovely teaching assistant for three years, now. He has no intentions of endangering his job or her reputation. But as spring break approaches, he’s seized with a wicked impulse. He invites her to his mountain retreat for a week. Just one week of intense escape.

What they both discover after their affair is that a week isn’t nearly enough. But as much as they long to be together, there are obstacles in their way, and the ethics of student-teacher relationships are the least of their problems. When she realizes how deeply rooted Grey’s commitment issues are, Addy begins to despair of ever having a happy ending with him. But Addy’s love might be just what’s needed to free him of his past.

When they got home, it was nearly ten o’clock. She went to her room and changed into one of the sexy nighties she’d bought. It was pale pink, halter style, lace and chiffon, with a matching thong. She wasn’t sure if he expected her to wear things like this or not, but she wanted to do it. She hoped he would like it.

She found him sitting at the kitchen table, still dressed, his glasses on, frowning at his laptop. Probably grading essays or checking the student forums. She stood watching him until he looked up. He stared, mouth open, for what seemed like forever. Then he grinned, slammed the laptop shut, and came toward her.

“Beautiful, kiddo.”

“I’m not a kid.”

“No, you most definitely are not.” He rested his hands on her shoulders looked her up and down, raking her with his heated gaze. “Maybe a little,” he said. “Just in here.” He trailed his fingertip along the corner of her eye.

“I’m not,” she replied, going for assertive but not quite pulling it off.

“You’re brand new. Someone who just finished being a kid, now playing at being a grown woman. You’re composed, Addison, but be honest. There’s a little bit of rebellion going on here, isn’t there?” He moved toward her so that her breasts were touching his chest through the crisp, white shirt he had on.

“I have no authority to rebel against,” she answered, as she slid her hands flat up his abs and chest. “I’m an adult.”

“Mm. If you’re not rebelling, then you’re playing a game. That’s what this is, isn’t it? You saw some soap opera about a student running off with her professor, and now you’re re-enacting the drama?”

She frowned, meeting his eyes, now. He was smiling as though this was all a joke, but she caught the insecurity, just around the edges of his expression. “Are you afraid?” she asked.

A laugh. “Afraid of what?”

There was no answer to this that she could think of. She took a step back and answered his other question, instead. “I’m not playing a game, Grey. But I am having a first time. My first time with a man. My first time with you. This is my first time wearing something sexy for a man.” She looked down and fingered the lace edge of her baby doll gown. When she managed to glance back up, she saw that she had his attention, or rather her legs had his attention. Suppressing a grin, she said, “Don’t you like it?” She spun, slowly, glancing over her shoulder at him. This was a thrilling element of their relationship. It hadn’t occurred to her what a feeling of power she’d get from his lust.

“I like it.”

Carter Ashby is a hardworking housewife and homeschool mother by day, and a romance reader and writer by night. She lives in rural Missouri with her husband, three children, and two dogs.